Let's recap. Why did I shift from writing 60K-word stories to 26K (Dreamscape Beta) and 45K (The Boyfriend App)? It had more to do with the lack of POD infrastructure in my country than with micro-publication on Wattpad.

I never designed The Boyfriend App to be posted piecemeal on Wattpad. The only thing I altered and adjusted specifically for WP purposes was a chapter that was 4, 000 words long (My average was 2, 300 words per, remember?) so I split said chapter into two short-ish ones. I didn't want to put too much preventable strain on the attention span of Wattpad readers.

Let me elaborate what I said about POD. In my country, an aspiring writer would have to go the extra mile to independently publish. They would have to approach printing presses with letterpress and offset, not digital, printing tech. Naturally, these printing presses would charge the writer exorbitant fees to print a handful of copies – it's just not a practical alternative to real POD publishing.

If the writer persisted, he would then stock/ stack his books in his own room, apartment or house and then individually send them out to his readers. As you can imagine, whatever royalty the writer was supposed to earn would just go to printing and shipping costs. Of course the writer could always just join Ingram or Amazon KDP Print, but then all books would still be printed overseas, most likely in the US, UK, EU, Australia etc., and the shipping costs back to the writer's country would still eat up all advantages of discounted author copies.

The writer could eliminate this predicament completely by writing in English and targeting a reader base overseas (which is what I did), but that is another matter entirely.

For a Filipino self-publishing in the Philippines for a Filipino audience, the most practical solution would be to cut costs by decreasing the number of pages and sometimes reducing the actual size (surface area) of the book. This workaround has proven effective for some authors, most particularly those in the romance genres because some romance-readers prefer quick, lighthearted reads and wafer-thin books with pocket-sized covers.

But if we're scrutinizing quality beyond actual words on pages, then definitely sacrifices would have to be made on a faux POD output. In Southeast Asia at least, it's currently still better to be published by a traditional publisher, not only because of paper quality, advertising, cover design etc., but especially because of markedly increased physical visibility for your book. Don't underestimate all those impulse buys from the convenience store near the beach or from the front table in the mall bookstore.

So, if I had to choose between what passes for POD publishing in Southeast Asia and posting my story on Wattpad, I can honestly say I have better luck finding and building an audience on Wattpad. The ROI (Return On Investment, I told you I know a lot outside of writing) just makes much more sense.

In fact, many budding writers (Chroniclers) and even more experienced ones (Time-travelers) are doing that, but what makes them stop and give up?

Usually, it's the lack of reads, votes, comments or any kind of reaction from readers. Wattpad writers abhor the feeling of posting a story update and then hearing nothing but crickets. But you know what? It's exactly the same everywhere else, on and off Wattpad. This is the life of any aspiring writer anywhere in the world, on whatever platform.

Let's try and compare Wattpad with other story-telling or publishing platforms. Say, Amazon, which is dubbed the 800-pound gorilla of e-commerce. Here are some quick (obviously) ballpark figures that I collated from various sources on the web:

Amazon

Potential readers: Millions

Authors: around 500, 000

E-books: over 6, 000, 000

Paperbacks: around 760, 000 (from Createspace, now KDP Print)

Genre Categories and sub-categories: over 6,000 (according to K-lytics)

Wattpad

Users: around 70, 000, 000 (both writers and readers)

Stories: over 200, 000, 000

Genre Categories: 30

Each platform has its own quirks and rules, but you can't deny that both are massive. Just contemplate their stats and you'll get a feeling not too different from when you're star-gazing: an intense and paralyzing awe and helplessness at the realization that you're just one tiny speck of dust in a universe that's constantly expanding.

But like I said, writing and publishing content is the same wherever we are in the world, whatever platform we are on. In fact, it's the same with any kind of activity we have in human life, in whatever era. You can call it by whatever name you want: making a connection, finding a voice, making a difference, leaving a mark.

Now, naturally there are so many complicated steps in undergoing such a colossal undertaking, and I don't profess to know the secrets of the universe. But what I can tell you is that writing isn't about reaching for the stars. It's all about keeping your feet on the ground and building your reputation from the ground up.

Don't aim to be another J.K. Rowling. She's hardly the best model to use as measuring tape for your career. And as Dwayne Johnson would tell you:

Don't worry about being the next me. Be the first you.

Up Next: What do you do when your story has no reads?

Stay Phenomenal!

****

Hi guys,

My book The Boyfriend App has been published. Yay! 

If you're familiar with the version uploaded here on WP, I revised it and added 6 never-before-read chapters plus one juicy fan-service bit that reveals what really happened to our beloved leading guy (bot?) Ecto. Not to mention the gorgeous new cover designed by the publisher. 

If you wish to have a copy shipped to your place and sitting on your shelf, just visit my website: www.phenomenalpen.com. 

Thanks!